Twitter Shouldn’t Have Listened To CAIR Extremists When Removing Laura Loomer

I’ll start by disclosing that for the past few months, I have been assisting Laura Loomer in researching Big Tech bias. With both her own situation, as well as the way things have transpired over the past few years in general. I was banned from Twitter back in May 2019, so I have the free time to dedicate to this sort of thing.

But this is by no means a “puff piece.” Laura Loomer was actually right about something and it needs to be discussed. Look at this tweet. This is what got Loomer banned.

You probably think she deserved it. That’s fine. In this 14,000 word essay I’m going to explain why you’re wrong.

To prove that I’m free to say whatever I want in this piece, I’m going to take a moment and rail on her. I don’t know why she or anyone else in the “movement” takes Jacob Wohl seriously. I thought the whole Minnesota project that Loomer, Wohl, and Ali Alexander did was a huge joke. It’s pathetic that even in that case, Jacob managed to screw up and get caught making fake threats via Twitter. I have never before seen someone who has managed to make everyone else’s lives harder just by existing. Every time that Jacob Wohl comes up in the news, I know in my heart that he’ll find a new way to disappoint society. What’s even worse is that Jacob Wohl was thick enough to confess to wanting to manipulate elections via social media (see this USA Today article). This justifies the agenda of excessive censorship on the part of social media companies. I wouldn’t be surprised to find out that a large part of all that is Jacob’s fault. I look forward to the day that the police arrest you on some kind of fraud related charge.

I hope that suffices.

Anyway. Back to Loomer. When I first came across Laura Loomer I thought she was obnoxious. Abrasive. People who have followed my work for the past few years know I haven’t been shy in criticizing her. My Twitter account may be suspended but I managed to dig up an archived tweet where I called Laura Loomer out for claiming to have an exclusive, when in reality she didn’t.

We’re talking about someone who made their debut in the public limelight by interrupting a Julius Caesar play. A grab for attention that seemed to underscore the motivations for everything Loomer did after. She tried following that up by making a big deal about a tire, for goodness sake. Everyone just ended up laughing at her. I know I did. So by the time that she got deverified from Twitter, spent months digging into the Las Vegas shooting, and so on, I tuned her out.

I only came around a little bit when she handcuffed herself to Twitter’s headquarters. But even so, it was for the sake of the ridiculous spectacle that it came off as. Not so much the message she was trying to protest.

So that makes it all the more significant to say I agree with her on something. When I first heard about Laura Loomer getting banned from Twitter, I wrote it off. “She had it coming,” is what I thought to myself. When she came to me asking for help researching into her situation and the pattern of social media bias that has enveloped us for the past five years, I didn’t expect to find any surprises.

Laura Loomer is right to criticize the Council on American-Islamic Relations. The organization known as CAIR. It’s a group that stokes anti-Semitic tensions while claiming to be a Muslim advocacy effort.

Everything about Loomer’s Twitter situation changed on January 8th, 2019. The Wall Street Journal put out an article detailing how they lean on outside groups when it comes to banning political speech. A majority of the piece details right-wing groups, but the end of it takes a left turn. The WSJ brings up what happened to Laura Loomer on Twitter. They even clarify what Laura was referring to when she tweeted at Ilhan Omar. She had the whole “may Allah awaken the people and help them see the evil doings of Israel” thing in mind.

Where it gets interesting is we learn about the outside groups that lobbied Twitter executives to deplatform her.

“Among the groups that had complained to Twitter was the Council on American-Islamic Relations, an advocacy organization.

The council doesn’t often step in to advocate against other users, says Executive Director Zahra Billoo, but did so in the case of Ms. Loomer based on her previous comments about Muslims. In 2017, Ms. Loomer tweeted after a terror attack in New York City, “Leave it to Muslims to ruin everything. People can’t even enjoy #Halloween without those savages f**king everything up for everyone.”

Other organizations, including the civil-rights organization Muslim Advocates, voiced similar complaints.”

What’s worth revealing is that Laura Loomer crossed paths with CAIR and Zahra Billoo directly before her Twitter ban. In July 2018, Loomer called out Billoo and CAIR for falling for a hate crime hoax. On the 18th Billoo made a huge fuss about “OUTRAGEOUS. CHEAP. RACISTS.” writing “we don’t tip terrorist” on someone’s restaurant bill.  By Zahra’s admission this turned out to be fake news.

It’s an embarrassing place to be caught in, for sure. People have often accused Laura Loomer of spreading fake news. Imagine having her of all people be on the high ground when calling someone else out for it. It lays out a realistic personal motive for CAIR and Billoo to want to get rid of Loomer altogether.

There’s plenty of other reasons to get rid of Laura Loomer. Of course. Everything from her Las Vegas escapades, to showing up in Parkland Florida, and her abrasive brand of confrontational entertainment where she “loomers” people in real life. I get it.

But what you need to understand is that we have Huffington Post complaining that Instagram wouldn’t ban Laura Loomer. They tried making a case that Laura’s remarks about Islam and Ilhan Omar were “potentially inciting violence.” Since context matters, it’s worth pointing out that this happened amid a controversy surrounding Omar’s remarks about 9/11. But we’ll get to that.

What’s relevant is this:

“The spokesperson, however, added that Loomer’s multiple other concerning and explicitly bigoted posts can stay on the website and do not violate community guidelines.”

A pattern is established here that has been a continuous dilemma in cancel culture. Big Tech companies like Facebook and Twitter choosing not to take action until outside groups like these blogger media outlets complain. Don’t just take my word for it though. It’s mentioned by HuffPost themselves at the Loomer piece when they brag about taking down Faith Goldy in a similar fashion.

That brings us back to CAIR and their lobbying to take down Laura Loomer from Twitter. There’s no difference between what Laura Loomer does and what CAIR’s leadership has done. Look for yourself. Loomer’s infamous “here’s to 2,000 more” remark is the same sort of quip that CAIR’s Los Angeles director made on Christmas Day 2016. Hussam Ayloush apologized after finding out that civilians were on board the Russian plane that crashed.

The apology matters only so far as to save face when it comes to Hussam and CAIR. In the more direct sense, Hussam Ayloush openly compared Israel to cancer in November 2018. I don’t think he had a “come to Jesus moment” of self-reflection. But more generally, I come to this conclusion about CAIR after reflecting on Zahra Billoo’s long-standing history of anti-Semitic remarks that recently got her in trouble with the Women’s March crowd.

The Women’s March kicked her out on September 19th, 2019:

“Zahra Billoo has been removed from board membership effective immediately. We found some of her public statements incompatible with the values and mission of the organization. Women’s March will continue to build an inclusive and effective movement that holds space for all women.”

In response, Ms. Billoo had a lot to say about this, in a big ol’ tweet thread. She leads off by labeling the controversy surrounding her as an “islamophobic smear campaign.” Zahra says she held the Women’s March organization in high regard and was on the ground floor with the group’s initial efforts back in 2017.

The practice of digging through old tweets is often stale and misguided in today’s internet “cancel” culture. However, Zahra Billoo herself brought this up. “However, much of the campaign is driven by people who oppose me and my work challenging the occupation of Palestine,” in her tweet thread.

The Israel vs. Palestine topic is a contentious issue. But you’re going to see that Zahra Billoo is glossing over a lot. She touches on anti-Semitism somewhat in her thread but fails to fully explain the tenacity of her radicalized remarks. We’re talking about someone who lists “zionists” alongside the devil. We’re talking about someone who took their cues from Louis Farrakhan. So when Zahra plays the identity politics card, as she did in her response thread? There’s plenty of reasons to doubt how much that means to her.

Every other article I have come across talking about this has given an incomplete picture. When it comes to the extent of Billoo’s anti-Semitism. I do not want to get sued by Zahra Billoo, so when I mention anti-Semitism, I’m using the definition as described by the ADL. They say “disagreement over policy toward the State of Israel has created opportunities in which the expression “Zionist” — support for Israel as the Jewish homeland — is often used as an anti-Semitic code word for “Jew” in mainstream debate,” on their website.

CAIR puts the ADL and Laura Loomer into the same camp. Seriously.  In the second half of March 2019, Ariella Plachta of LA Daily News was reporting on some kind of protest at a CAIR fundraiser for Ilhan Omar in Los Angeles. She remarked on Loomer showing up there. In response, Arsalan Bukhari of CAIR DC brought up the ADL.

“Thank you for mentioning this. You’ll find @ADL and others mainstreamed this kind of vile hate against American Muslim elected officials,w/ the same attacks & conspiracy theories for years, but using dog whistles.Then act very surprised that the dogs heard and are now responding.”

A glance of Arsalan’s tweets reveals his hatred of the ADL and animosity against Zionism. Hallmarks to expect when looking at Zahra Billoo’s long list of tweets.

With that said, let’s review. For the record, I’ll be highlighting the tweets I found particularly scandalous in bold.

• (9:33 AM – 29 Jan 2009) “worries that until we shed our $5, non-fair trade, anti-union, pro-globalization, Zionist coffee we may not see victory in Palestine.”
• (10:49 PM – 7 Jan 2009) “is torn. The ish just hit the fan: http://tinyurl.com/7ctj3a ! AH for Hezbollah having the courage to do what the Arab governments won’t!”
• (2:00 PM – 21 Mar 2009) “has never seen the SF Pigs this out of control. We’re surrounded.”
• (4:01 PM – 20 Apr 2010) “SF City Hall is flying a Zionist flag today. If you’re in the area, join the silent protest at 4:30pm, on the front steps.”
• (1:13 AM – 29 Apr 2010) “Zionists talking about seeking peace. “The Israeli gov’t. seeks peace.” Sadly laughable. #ucbdivest”
• (7:25 PM – 31 May 2010) “Pigs in full force http://tweetphoto.com/25000685”
• (7:43 PM – 31 May 2010) “My tax dollars first arm Zionists, and then they protect them. http://tweetphoto.com/25002910”
• (7:53 PM – 31 May 2010) “Two Zionists got three cops to walk them to their cars.”
• (10:53 PM – 10 Jun 2010) “RT @Jinjirrie: Q. What sort of sick freaks leave injured civilians to bleed to death? A. #Zionists http://is.gd/cCuG2”
• (11:28 PM – 24 Dec 2010) “Palestine 2010: if Jesus was born today, Virgin Mariam would have been forced to have him at a checkpoint.”
• (6:39 AM – 27 Oct 2010) “Oh hell no. AJC has a new 4 minute #Zionist video and they’ve placed anti-Palestinian ads on radio stations to promote it.”
• (11:33 AM – 6 Jul 2010) “”The bond between the United States and [#Zionist] #Israel is unbreakable.” @BarackObama, July 2010″
• (6:14 AM – 3 Nov 2010) “RT @avinunu BREAKING NEWS: Benjamin Netanyahu retains control of U.S. Congress.”
• (9:40 PM – 15 Jan 2011) “”On 9/11 our narrative was hijacked.” – the Amir @ MSA West”
• (1:05 AM – 29 Apr 2011) “Israel, Israel you can’t hide. We charge you with genocide.”
• (9:05 PM – 28 Jun 2011) “Zionist propaganda against #Flotilla2: http://www.standwithus.com/app/iNews/view_n.asp?ID=1893 …. Read it, familiarize yourself with the lies.”
• (12:17 AM – 29 Jun 2011) “RT @smellywetdog I think you can stop calling them #Zionists and [just] start calling them Jerks”
• (2:29 AM – 11 Sep 2011) “”America your 9/11 is our 24/7. Yours Sincerely, Palestine” – via @proudpalestina”
• (10:00 PM – 11 Sep 2011) “Innocent Iraqis suffer the equivalent of 9/11 every 8.23 days.”
• (10:35 AM – 7 Oct 2011) “wants to “be the kind of woman that when her feet hit the floor ea. morn’ the devil [& haters, Zionists, etc.] says “oh crap, she’s up.””
• (3:00 AM – 26 Oct 2011) “Is Oakland PD striving to make it into the ranks of such violent criminals as the IDF?”
• (12:48 PM – 6 Dec 2011) “can’t make the AIPAC protest tonight but is hoping the Zionist lobby will receive an appropriate welcome from people of conscience.”
• (9:10 PM – 1 Dec 2011) “believes any effort to challenge Islamophobia that doesn’t address the role of the government and Zionists in perpetrating it is incomplete.”
• (9:27 PM – 23 Jan 2012) “is fondly recalling her college days as an outspoken anti-Zionist activist and praying for the mentors who emboldened her.”
• (9:00 PM – 8 Feb 2012) “is entertained. Zionist activists think it looks legit to cite the NYPD claims about the Muslim Brotherhood, MSA, Hamas, etc. Hilarious.”
• (7:13 AM – 2 Apr 2012) “is seeking forgiveness. The avg. taxpayer, herself included, will give Apartheid Israel approx. $21.59 in weapons in 2012. via @US_Campaign”
• (2:43 PM – 28 Apr 2012) “Disgusting RT @CUFI: Google donned blue and white and flags in honor of [Apartheid] Israel’s 64th birthday.”
• (6:40 PM – 22 Jun 2012) “Apartheid Israel kills children as a hobby.”
• (12:09 AM – 26 Jun 2012) “Ikhwan were outlawed and its leaders tortured for six decades. Today, their candidate was announced Egypt’s new president. Subhan’Allah.”
• (4:26 PM – 29 Jun 2012) “Apartheid Israel imprisons children as a hobby,”
• (7:07 PM – 22 Oct 2012) “What’s happening in Pakistan is that the US is imposing a 9/11 like reality, daily. #Debate”
• (3:58 PM – 14 Nov 2012) “must remember to think twice every time she shops. So many of our luxuries facilitate the crimes of Apartheid Israel and others.”
• (11:57 PM – 18 Nov 2012) “thinks everybody that is upset about the assault on Gaza should make a habit of calling the murderers what they are: APARTHEID Israel.”
• (11:57 PM – 18 Nov 2012) “Every time you say Israel, call it Apartheid Israel. It is nothing short of a racist, murderous state. Let’s normalize that.”
• (11:08 PM – 19 Nov 2012) “#LiesImTiredofHearing: life is so hard for the Zionists who are stealing Palestinian land.”
• (2:17 PM – 31 Dec 2012) “Can you advocate for civil rights in the US while defending and promoting the murderous ways of Apartheid Israel, with a straight face?”
• (7:27 PM – 31 Jan 2013) “Every ‘uncivilized’ act Zionists accuse Palestinians of, Apartheid Israel has committed and at a far greater scale.”
• (7:45 PM – 13 Feb 2013) “spent her evening at an event packaged as a conversation about “free speech”. You know the kind that doesn’t accuse Israel of apartheid…”
• (5:02 PM – 12 Mar 2013) “Congrats to student Palestine solidarity activists on upsetting the Zionists! http://blog.adl.org/international/anti-israel-bds-apartheid-weereached-fever-pitch-this-week”
• (5:29 PM – 14 Apr 2013) “Apparently Apartheid Israel is the only democracy in the Middle East. Because you know, institutionalized racism = democracy.”
• (9:14 PM – 19 Apr 2013) “Hamas was democratically elected to govern Palestine. – @islamophobiacon”
• (1:09 PM – 10 May 2013) “doesn’t think it is possible, or even honest, to hold yourself out as anti-Islamophobia while supporting Apartheid Israel.”
• (12:59 AM – 23 Jul 2013) “#LiesImTiredofHearing: Apartheid Israel wants peace.”
• (8:43 PM – 30 Jul 2013) “is far more disturbed by former Congressman Anthony Weiner’s support of the Apartheid State of Israel than his sexting habits.”
• (4:36 PM – 5 Aug 2013) “Stating for the record: disappointed and disgusted with Dr. Oz’s kissing up to Apartheid Israel. #BDS”
• (11:34 PM – 12 Feb 2014) “What country uses live ammunition against unarmed children? Apartheid Israel.”

Hold on a second. Sorry to interrupt this list but I found another definition of anti-Semitism besides the ADL’s page. Here’s the working definition of anti-Semitism as defined by the European Monitoring Center on Racism and Xenophobia.

“Antisemitism is a certain perception of Jews, which may be expressed as hatred toward Jews. Rhetorical and physical manifestations of antisemitism are directed toward Jewish or non-Jewish individuals and/or their property, toward Jewish community institutions and religious facilities.”

I bolded the relevant “ruh-roh” moment for Zahra Billoo. It’s also the definition used by the U.S. Department of State.

• (11:08 AM – 31 Mar 2014) “if you can’t see past a Zionist agenda, then please just take my word for it: #IDontNeedSaving. #DisHonorDiaries”
• (4:10 PM – 17 Apr 2014) “Apartheid Israel spends millions of dollars to falsely paint the country as gay friendly. #islamophobiaconf #Islamophobia #pinkwashing #BDS”
• (11:35 PM – 8 May 2014) “is praying for justice and the right of return for Palestinians while Zionists are celebrating #Apartheid #Israel’s 66th birthday. #BDS”
• (9:57 AM – 13 May 2014) “Israel ‘defending’ itself from Palestinians is analogous to Nazi Germany defending itself from Jewish uprising.”
• (1:24 PM – 3 Jul 2014) “.@AIFDemocracy how does iftar taste for you when it’s purchased by your Zionist friends?”
• (2:02 AM – 7 Jul 2014) “Welcome to Israel. Where chanting “Death to Arabs” is democracy, running over children is equality, and firing on funerals is peace.”
• (4:57 PM – 20 Jul 2014) “Israel, Israel you can’t hide we charge you with genocide.”
• (9:53 PM – 22 Jul 2014) “Does the occupation of and genocide in #Palestine keep us awake at night?”
• (8:36 PM – 31 Jul 2014) “is waiting for everyone who demands that Muslims everywhere condemn 9/11 to now condemn US funded terrorism in #Palestine.”
• (4:43 PM – 23 Jul 2014) “#Israel is an #apartheid state.”
• (4:43 PM – 23 Jul 2014) “#Israel is a #terrorist state.”
• (11:12 PM – 1 Aug 2014) “Israel is a racist state.”
• (11:12 PM – 1 Aug 2014) “Israel is a terrorist state.”
• (11:12 PM – 1 Aug 2014) “If you support Israel, you are no doubt supporting baby killers.”
• (11:13 PM – 1 Aug 2014) “There is no mincing words about baby killing. US tax dollars fund Israel’s baby killing.”
• (11:14 PM – 1 Aug 2014) “Racism is at the very core of Israel’s existence, funded and made possible by you and me … and our tax dollars.”
• (11:15 PM – 1 Aug 2014) “If you support apartheid, racism, and Zionism by Israel, I don’t think we can work on civil rights together in the US.”
• (4:25 PM – 8 Aug 2014) “Israel is a lunatic state.”
• (4:25 PM – 8 Aug 2014) “Israel is a racist state.”
• (7:27 PM – 30 Aug 2014) “Our President can condemn #ISIL but what about condemning the IDF? – @ImamZaidShakir at #ISNA51Detroit”
• (6:53 AM – 6 Sep 2014) “recommends that you assert your right to remain silent and to an attorney if the FBI wants to talk to you about the IDF or even ISIS.”
• (10:58 PM – 11 Sep 2014) “The residents of villages in Pakistan that the US targets with drones have said that everyday is like 9/11 for them.”
• (12:41 PM – 15 Sep 2014) “wonders who has recruited more Americans? The IDF or ISIS?”
• (7:55 PM – 23 Oct 2014) “.@AnarchoZionist I’m not sure it’s possible to be Zionist and nice. You know because you support Apartheid, racism, murder, war…”
• (11:41 AM – 19 Nov 2014) “Blaming Hamas for firing rockets at [Apartheid] Israel is like blaming a woman for punching her rapist. #FreePalestine v @KathlynGadd”
• (5:30 PM – 13 Dec 2014) “will not renounce jihad, khilafah or sharia. #MPAC14”
• (8:22 PM – 28 Dec 2014) is as disgusted by the CIA and the IDF as I am by ISIS. It’s the alphabet soup of evil horrible organizations.
• (9:39 PM – 16 Jan 2015) “#Zionist RT @roccobarbi: There’s at least another one: antidemocratic Hamas, which too has no regard for the lives of Palestinians.”
• (7:52 PM – 20 Jan 2015) “Apartheid Israel has a right to exist on any piece of land they purchase outright, and didn’t steal from someone else.”
• (8:37 PM – 8 Feb 2015) “DHS and FBI should launch CVE programs targeting Israel supporters because Zionism is a very real threat to our national security.”
• (2:36 PM – 16 Feb 2015) “Have more American youth joined the IDF than American youth have joined ISIS? Is one genocidal group different than the other? #CVESummit”
• (9:21 AM – 18 Feb 2015) “I’m more afraid of racist Zionists who support Apartheid Israel than of the mentally ill young people the #FBI recruits to join ISIS. #CVE”
• (8:16 PM – 1 Mar 2015) “.@Dairy4Mary to describe what Apartheid Israel does as anything short of racist baby killing is being politically correct.”
• (9:44 AM – 12 Apr 2015) “Israel commits war crimes and terrorism as a hobby.”
• (6:04 PM – 15 Aug 2015) “Apartheid Israel thrives on racism and murder.”
• (7:40 PM – 11 Sep 2015) “RIP: 2,976 Americans killed on 9/11, and 48,644+ Afghans, 1,690,903+ Iraqis, and 35,000+ Pakistanis killed by American wars since then.”
• (5:57 PM – 15 Dec 2015) “Will we hunt down and kill the IDF terrorists @SenTedCruz ? #GOPDebate”
• (6:30 PM – 15 Dec 2015) “Who has killed more civilians, US soldiers, US police, the IDF, or ISIS? #GOPDebate”
• (12:12 PM – 6 Sep 2016) “Israel’s human rights violations are a primary recruiting tool for ISIS and their friends.”

• (3:02 PM – 3 Jun 2017) “Of course, I know that support for Apartheid Israel is commonplace in parts of Hollywood.”
• (11:04 PM – 3 Nov 2017) “Saban called the IDF soldiers brave heroes. I call them murderous thugs who kill people and steal land with impunity.”
• (7:35 PM – 28 Nov 2017) “No, You Can’t Be A Feminist And A Zionist https://forward.com/opinion/387675/no-you-cant-be-a-feminist-and-a-zionist/ via @jdforward”
• (9:04 PM – 6 Dec 2017) “Jerusalem is the capitol of Palestine.”
• (8:02 PM – 9 Feb 2018) “It’s also a rapists’ shelter. A war mongers’ shelter. A Zionists’ shelter. It used to be a slave owners’ shelter. So much bad happens here.”
• (3:51 PM – 23 Feb 2018) “Zionism is responsible for creating the largest refugee population in the world who have yet to return to Palestine.”
• (12:18 PM – 31 Mar 2018) “I can’t. This is hilarious. The IDF is more militant and murderous than ISIS. I don’t take Islamic guidance from either.”
• (8:29 PM – 10 May 2018) “believes God is ever present, Zionism is racism, and Israel is a settler colonial nation engaged in ongoing apartheid.”
• (1:20 PM – 25 May 2018) “doesn’t see any difference between American youth leaving the country to join ISIS or the IDF. Both are murderous, war crime committing, terrorist entities.”
• (5:04 PM – 11 Jun 2018) “cannot advocate for Palestine without criticizing the settler colonial state of Israel. The latter causes the crisis in the former. If that offends you, don’t ask me to change my language, ask yourself why you are sympathizing with an oppressive apartheid regime.”
• (10:42 PM – 15 Jun 2018) “Thanks @ikhras. Sounds like you’re with the Zionists on this one? They too would like me to stay silent about #Palestine. News flash, neither of you will be bossing me around.”
• (3:16 PM – 9 Jul 2018) “Israel is an apartheid, racist state, which engages in terrorism against Palestinians.”
• (3:17 PM – 9 Jul 2018) “ONE MORE TIME FOR THE PEOPLE IN THE BACK: Israel is an apartheid, racist state, which engages in terrorism against Palestinians.”
• (3:18 PM – 9 Jul 2018) “JUST IN CASE THE ZIONISTS DIDN’T HEAR ME: Israel is an apartheid, racist state, which engages in terrorism against Palestinians.”
• (12:44 PM – 29 Jul 2018) “It is what I will lean on to speak out against all forms of racism. It is what I will use to advocate for a free Palestine and an end to normalizing with Zionism, when I return to the US.”
• (1:08 PM – 31 Jul 2018) “Work, school, hospital, passing through an area full of Zionist colonizers, you’ll need to endure and invasive checkpoint. You’ll need to open your life up to examination. You’ll be required to play nice with someone who could kill you in the blink of an eye.”
• (12:11 AM – 6 Oct 2018) “This is why I’m an anti-Zionist.”
• (6:27 PM – 29 Nov 2018) “From the river to the sea, #Palestine will be free.”

Note: Marc Lamont Hill got fired from CNN over that line. In a surprise twist, we can use CNN itself as a reference for this decision. CNN confirms that they cut ties with contributor Marc Lamont Hill over his comments about Israel.

CAIR is cool with it though. Marc and Zahra Billoo are going to be doing a panel together next month.

Let’s continue with the list:

• (3:15 PM – 11 Jan 2019) “Couldn’t make this up if I tried, the parallels between how empowered white nationalists and Zionists are willing to treat asylum seekers are telling.”
• (7:11 PM – 5 Feb 2019) “Jerusalem is the true capital of #Palestine. #SOTU”
• (3:51 PM – 15 Feb 2019) “Zionism is a racist ideology that supported the creation and maintenance of a settler-colonial state in Palestine.”
• (7:44 PM – 21 Mar 2019) “I remember protesting an @AIPAC Convention in D.C. years ago. It was one of the first times I was confronted with how deep rooted American “progressive” support for the racist, Zionist state of #ApartheidIsrael really was.”
• (7:45 PM – 25 Mar 2019) “I blame Apartheid Israel.”
• (2:16 PM – 6 May 2019) “I will keep waking up at suhoor this Ramadan InshaAllah, to eat, to reflect on my privilege, to seek forgiveness for my complicity and inadequate resistance, and for the Palestinian people to obtain justice over the racism of Zionism and the Apartheid State of Israel.”
• (8:45 AM – 30 Sep 2019) “What is it that one could say about Palestine that would upset right wingers, Islamophobes, and radical Zionists all at once?”
• (8:45 AM – 30 Sep 2019) ” —Hold the American Muslims who work with Zionist institutions accountable for their complicity in state terror.”
• (8:45 AM – 30 Sep 2019) “—From the river to the sea, Palestine will InshaAllah be free.”
• (8:45 AM – 30 Sep 2019) “—If we’re going to counter violent extremism, let’s start with those who support Apartheid Israel.”
• (8:45 AM – 30 Sep 2019) “—Israel is a an apartheid, racist, terrorist state and it commits war crimes as a hobby.”
• (8:45 AM – 30 Sep 2019) “How dare I speak out against Apartheid Israel and for Palestine? Except that it’s my religious obligation and my safety and success are in the hands of the Most High.”
• (8:45 AM – 30 Sep 2019) “There you have it. Now say it with me, “5, 6, 7, 8, Israel is a terrorist state…””

Now you can better understand the concerns Laura Loomer had when she tweeted at Ilhan Omar. People have framed Laura as anti-Muslim so much they forgot to consider the notion that she’s pro-Israel. As you can see in this list of provocative tweets above, Zahra Billoo is as much anti-Israel on top of the pro-Muslim face she gets people to focus on.

Twitter says the punish based on behavior and not ideology. On two different fronts, Ms. Billoo has violated this. On one hand, we have someone who has a very long track record of talking about the “Zionist agenda” unironically, that “Zionists” control the U.S. government and Hollywood. The argument that people can grow up and learn from their mistakes doesn’t work here. Full stop. “What is it that one could say about Palestine that would upset right-wingers, Islamophobes, and radical Zionists all at once,” Billoo tweeted on September 30th, 2019. Zahra was trying to incite negativity.   What’s even more alarming is Zahra Billoo’s twisted definition of extremism. In that same September 30th thread, she says “if we’re going to counter violent extremism, let’s start with those who support Apartheid Israel,” in one tweet. Billoo isn’t being sarcastic either. Upon review, there are earlier tweets that establish this is what Zahra actually believes.

She has a history of behavior that demonizes a specific group of people. To the point of incitement. Let me make sure I demonstrate how boxed in Zahra’s political views are.

1. (1:13 AM – 29 Apr 2010) “Zionists talking about seeking peace. “The Israeli gov’t. seeks peace.” Sadly laughable. #ucbdivest”
2. (7:55 PM – 23 Oct 2014) “.@AnarchoZionist I’m not sure it’s possible to be Zionist and nice. You know because you support Apartheid, racism, murder, war…”
3. (5:04 PM – 11 Jun 2018) “cannot advocate for Palestine without criticizing the settler colonial state of Israel. The latter causes the crisis in the former. If that offends you, don’t ask me to change my language, ask yourself why you are sympathizing with an oppressive apartheid regime.”
4. (3:18 PM – 9 Jul 2018) “JUST IN CASE THE ZIONISTS DIDN’T HEAR ME: Israel is an apartheid, racist state, which engages in terrorism against Palestinians.”

… and people will still seriously say Loomer’s tweet to Ilhan Omar was baseless. Zahra isn’t sorry for any of it. “In looking at the tweets in question, I acknowledge that I wrote passionately. While I may have phrased some of my content differently today, I stand by my words,” Billoo wrote in the September 19th, 2019 Women’s March response thread.

I need to point out that Zahra herself is aware of the ADL labeling anti-zionism as anti-semitism, and her active defiance against that definition. We’re talking about to the point where she’s openly bragging about making the top 10 lists for ADL (CAIR is on there by the way). Yes. I mean bragging. Zahra “has worked with more than 1/2 of the groups identified as top Anti-Israel groups and would do it again!” is what Billoo says in her own words.

“Why would CAIR hate the ADL?” you might ask. Let me give you a preview. The ADL released this photo you see below, back in August 2007. It was the ADL’s response to an open letter that CAIR wrote them.

You can read the ADL’s general thoughts on CAIR here. Worth noting that the ADL testified alongside representatives from Twitter, Facebook, and Google during a congressional hearing last month. Zahra Billoo brings into question Twitter’s judgment. Twitter Safety is a proud partner of the ADL but our outspoken CAIR representative thinks the organization is schizophrenic. It wasn’t a one-off thing either. The clash between CAIR and the ADL has gone on for years. Zahra Billoo herself conflates civil rights advocacy as “Israel war mongering.”

She’s very into it. “Did the ADL really accuse Al Jazeera of exaggerating the I/P conflict? Upset they are covering Apartheid Israel’s murderous ways it seems,” they tweeted back in early 2013.

The bragging about making the ADL’s naughty list happened more than once. Again, keep in mind that Twitter listened to this person when deciding to get rid of Laura Loomer.

• (5:12 PM – 12 Mar 2013) “With all due respect, if Zionists approve of your Palestine advocacy work you’re probably doing something wrong.”
• (11:15 AM – 31 Mar 2013) “Congratulations to American Muslims for Palestine! This is a badge of honor: http://www.adl.org/press-center/press-releases/israel-middle-east/adl-releases-report-on-american-muslims-palestine-anti-israel-ad-campaign.html#.UVh8SKNlAb0”

To be frank, I don’t care one way or another about the ADL personally. I cheered Pewdiepie on when he rescinded his $50,000 donation to the organization. It was masterful trolling. When it comes to the CAIR crisis, we have a case where everyone isn’t playing by the same rules. Extremism itself is such an overly used term with no official global definition, that I’m with no other option but to use the ADL as guidance.

With ADL and funding in mind, it needs to be pointed out that Billoo frequently uses Mondoweiss as a source. Again, this is a left-leaning sort of argument that’s only being deployed to demonstrate the double standards of CAIR. The usage of Mondoweiss by Zahra Billoo is considered controversial by some because of the funding for the organization coming from one Ron Unz. Someone that the ADL claims support “extreme anti-Israel ideologues” and whose writings are “regularly cited by anti-Semites.”

I don’t think going off of just a Wikipedia page is a reliable source of reference. But it’s something the far-left has done, time and time again. Given the circumstances of Zahra Billoo however, we can make an exception.

On one hand, the likes of HuffPost, BuzzFeed, and even Media Matters or Right Wing Watch would likely be satisfied with this guilt-by-association train of thought I’m using here. For right-wingers, consider this free advertising for VDARE or any of the other ventures Ron Unz has funded.

To get back on track to Zahra Billoo. She “doesn’t see any difference between American youth leaving the country to join ISIS or the IDF. Both are murderous, war crime committing, terrorist entities.” In case you missed it, yes, Zahra Billoo is openly defiant to authorities like the NYPD as well. “is entertained. Zionist activists think it looks legit to cite the NYPD claims about the Muslim Brotherhood, MSA, Hamas, etc. Hilarious,” she tweeted back in February 2012.

Billoo’s paranoia about the ADL extends to the FBI too. At a glance, you might think this is solely a Trump thing. Nope. Look deeper and you’ll find a contentious history between CAIR and the FBI overall.

The point is Zahra Billoo openly explores conspiracy theories about the FBI. She goes as far as to admit the Feds are after her for her work and monitor her tweets. This is something to reflect on every time that a left-wing blog throws on the “conspiracy theorist label when describing Laura Loomer. It mixes into her Zionism obsession as well. “I’m more afraid of racist Zionists who support Apartheid Israel than of the mentally ill young people the #FBI recruits to join ISIS,” Zahra tweeted.

Great job, Twitter! Zahra Billoo seems like a perfectly sane individual to listen to. Did you know that the FBI had to officially distance themselves from CAIR after a ruling on the Holy Land Foundation connected CAIR to the likes of Hamas and the Muslim Brotherhood? Yeah. Billoo knows all about that. She even cheered on the Holy Land Foundation back then and was upset when they lost their court appeal. I’ll do CAIR a courtesy though and explain that their job is to give legal representation to Muslims targeted by law enforcement. Click any of the links in this sentence to see tweets from Zahra Billoo that establish this, because I don’t just cherry-pick things in isolation to form a narrative. Some of Billoo’s crazy might be mixed in though.

Let me hit Zahra Billoo’s edgy tweets one more time, just to cement the point that this is what CAIR believes.

• (10:44 AM – 3 Mar 2015) “is a proud anti-Zionist.”
• (1:35 PM – 16 May 2015) “2/3 of #Islamophobia is funded by #Zionist money.”
• (10:28 PM – 31 May 2015) “@TyreJim yes, and if you want to tell me they are Zionist, we can’t be friends. :)”
• (6:43 PM – 6 Aug 2015) “I’ll call ISIS “Radical Islamic Terrorists” if you’ll call the IDF “Radical Jewish Terrorists”? #GOPDebate #ApartheidIsrael #Gaza”
• (6:46 PM – 2 Nov 2015) “What is this Muslim Zionist trash today? https://instagram.com/p/9lKGDksq3z/”
• (1:00 PM – 16 Nov 2015) “believes Guantanamo, drone strikes, Zionist Israel and the likes are how extremist ideology flourishes.”
• (4:21 PM – 14 May 2018) “Years of normalizing and fraternizing with Zionists, and today some Muslim MLI alums and ADL friends want to act like they care one iota about Palestinian human rights.”

Speaking of “edgy.” Zahra’s brother Ahmed Billoo called for the death of Zionists in a Facebook post spotted by Laura Loomer. I at first couldn’t believe it, as visiting Ahmed’s Facebook page reveals he has since locked down the public from viewing his recent posts. But whoever tipped off Loomer to this story was able to screenshot the post, with a direct link included. So it passes basic levels of scrutiny. This is further backed up by a separate screenshot showing that Ahmed was indeed in Israel at the time he made the post.

But the conspiracy theories Zahra Billoo is happy to entertain include the classic 9/11 attacks, that happened to be everyone’s go-to for quite a while. It’s something that came to the forefront earlier this year with Ilhan Omar’s “some people did something” line she spoke at a March 23rd CAIR speech. Again, this is the very subject matter that the Huffington Post complained to Instagram about when campaigning to get Laura Loomer banned, taking advantage of tensions in the wake of New Zealand to deplatform someone who had been consistently critical of Omar’s work as a politician even before then.

The Washington Post’s fact check does mention briefly that Ilhan Omar was wrong about the origins of CAIR. But it’s glossed over. It’s a point worth hitting home. CAIR was founded in 1994, as Politifact points out. They get closer to telling the full story. That CAIR’s intent was to promote a positive public image for Muslims and Islam in America. Something that would come into practical usage for the first time in the wake of the Oklahoma City bombing. What we now know as the work of Timothy McVeigh was initially speculated to be a terror attack perpetrated by Muslims.

When it comes to background material for CAIR you have a few options. There’s this PDF that’s over 100 pages long, or there’s a much more concise article from the National Review. Personally, I’d read both. If you want a third option, there’s this mini-book taking the blunt approach by titling itself C.A.I.R. is HAMAS. It has official scanned evidence from the Holy Land Foundation court documents. Primary source material and all that. You can skip to page 56-57 of the mini-book if you want to jump to the part directly about CAIR. Page 70 points to the prioritization given towards Sharia law, as Laura Loomer made reference to in her tweet at Ilhan Omar. This again comes up on page 79.

Hamas is a designated terrorist group in places like the United States, the European Union, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. CAIR is actually designated as a terrorist group too, over in the UAE. CAIR is listed as an unindicted co-conspirator in the Holy Land Foundation case that connects them to Hamas.

Again Twitter is ok with all this and doesn’t mind taking advice from terror-linked organizations. So now we got to delve into the Muslim Brotherhood. Which has Twitter’s blue checkmark seal of approval.

Here’s some Muslim Brotherhood reading material from the CIA. It was founded in 1928 by an Egyptian school teacher. Hasan al-Banna wanted to slow down Western culture from encroaching on Islamic values. The first decade of the group was pretty modest, as it focused on expansion, education systems, and general organizing. But things took a violent turn after they formed paramilitary groups and the Egyptian Prime Minister got assassinated by a Muslim Brotherhood member in January 1949. Al-Banna in return was murdered by (reportedly) government officials a month later. From the 1950s onward through the 1980s the Muslim Brotherhood was a toss-up between either being allowed to exist (as long as there was no military activity) or being banned.

The position of the United States was that the Brotherhood stopped more extreme Islamic groups from forming. Which, with the formation of Hamas, really put a wrench in that theory.

Here’s a dossier on the background context to Hamas if you need to be filled in on that. But the best place to look when trying to understand the group is from the members  themselves. They describe their motivations in their 1987 charter. Hamas wants to recover Palestine from Israel by any means necessary after the country was established in 1948. Hamas believes Zionism (the form of Jewish nationalism where one’s loyalty is to the State of Israel) is a threat to Allah and the Islamic way of life.

CAIR’s founding came as a result of the 1993 Oslo Accords, which in itself was a resolution that came about after Palestine sided with Saddam Hussein in the Gulf War. When that didn’t work out so good for Yasser Arafat, he came crawling back to the negotiation table. It was an effort that attempted to broker peace between Israel and Palestine from 1993 to 2000. Understanding the failure of the Oslo Accords is key in understanding the bitter feud going on today between Israel and Palestine. A key feature of it is that there was nothing in the Accords guaranteeing an independent Palestinian state. The Oslo Accords set up political boundaries of a different vein. Like goalposts for either side to dance around and skirt close to.

25 Hamas supporters and members gathered in Philadelphia on October 2nd, 1993. The infamous Marriott Hotel meeting (that the FBI was monitoring) was one in which the group discussed how to “get the best of both worlds,” so to speak: the military might of Hamas and the American government looking the other way.  In short, Hamas was a PR nightmare for Muslims in the United States. Americans saw what was going on overseas in the Middle East. It’s not hard to conclude how the game of public perception pans out for an organization fundamentally opposed to any peaceful compromise to the Israelis?

Musa Abu Marzook led not just Hamas, but also the Islamic Association for Palestine founded back in 1981 (the date on this memo is October 1992 but gives a background into the IAP). It wasn’t until Hamas kicked off in December 1987 that Marzook got more company fronts into the mix.  Alongside the IAP came the Holy Land Foundation for Relief and Development. The money needs to come through somewhere, and curious folks in law enforcement couldn’t take their eyes off of it.

Why is that? I’ll let Chuck Schumer’s September 2000 press release explain:

“Senator Charles E. Schumer today wrote Secretary of State Madeleine K. Albright and Attorney General Janet Reno to demand that the State and Justice Departments crack down on American organizations with financial ties to terrorist organizations. In the letter, Schumer urged the two departments to step up their efforts to prosecute American charities, such as the Holy Land Foundation, that have clear links to terrorist groups.

“The fact that an organization such as the Holy Land Foundation is permitted to exist and flourish within our borders is not only harmful to American interests, it also gives the appearance that our commitment to fighting terrorism is not all it should be,” Schumer wrote. “It is my hope that Holy Land, and all American organizations with knowing financial ties to terrorist groups, will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”

The Holy Land Foundation, one of the largest Muslim charities in the United States, has clear links to the terrorist organization Hamas, a group that is responsible for dozens of attacks on American and Israeli citizens. In recognition of these terrorist ties, the State Department recently requested that the US Agency for International Development (AID) take Holy Land off its list of registered charities, making it ineligible for federal assistance.”

I bolded the part where they say The Holy Land Foundation is connected to Hamas.

The HLF is crucial in revealing a lot of the information about CAIR you see in front of you in this article.  CAIR would later be connected to the litigation fallout during the second half of the 2000s. But if you want something more direct, click here to be taken to CAIR’s website back as it was on September 17th, 2001. Your internet browser will highlight “Donate to the NY/DC Emergency Relief Fund,” which links to a page on the Holy Land Foundation’s website. That’s the most direct kind of fundraising connection anyone can show you. But it should’ve been a clue when CAIR got outraged in December 2001 after the Holy Land Foundation’s funding was frozen by President Bush.

The trial took place in Dallas, and it charged the HLF and the group’s officers with providing material support to Hamas. The existence of the Muslim Brotherhood’s Palestine Committee was made known through ample testimony and evidence provided by the FBI. The Palestine Committee was this umbrella in which the likes of CAIR and the IAP were organized.

Quote from Dr. Rasha Dsuqi at an Illinois IAP conference, circa November 2000:

“We’re so far behind. On behalf of sisters, I’d like us to collect as many donations as possible in order to support jihad in Palestine not only the food, not only the medications, but also the weapons to kill the Zionists. And, I know that I might be watched by some people, Alhumdililah, this is a word that I’d like to say and I’m not scared of anybody that’s here! Alhumdilah, I lost my job because I talked about Palestine more than once, and I have nothing to lose.”

CAIR came about because the Muslim Brotherhood needed an organization that was free of a “tainted” label connected to extremism. The IAP’s PR director Nihad Awad and Omar Ahmad were at the Hamas meeting in Philadelphia. These two men are the founders of CAIR.

I want to make sure you understand. These meetings happened. There’s multiple transcripts backing it up. The intent of CAIR was to set up a foothold for Palestinian activism in North America, and to do so in a favorable PR light. On page 5 of this transcript one of the meeting members flat-out says “war is a deception.”  The whole “Hamas is bad” thing even comes up in these meetings. There’s times where they instead say “Samah” (Hamas backwards) as a tongue-in-cheek way to hide themselves. This exemplifies the acute political awareness among the meeting members of what governments around the world saw when it came to Hamas. They knew being labeled terrorists was inevitable.

It’s worth making this distinction. I’m not saying that CAIR is dedicated to trying to “covert” people to Islam. All I’m pointing out is how they use American style activism to paint a favorable PR lens for Palestine on the side that Hamas is fighting for.  They even had the foresight to see Benjamin Netanyahu’s disdain for the Oslo accords. Let it be made clear that everyone involved here was smart, to a degree.  Generally speaking they overestimated American stupidity and think nobody would catch on. But when that inevitably did happen, it’s no surprise that CAIR denies being connected to Hamas. Such a blanket term in itself is ridiculous on its face. The distinction needs to be made on a case-by-case basis as to who was involved, there.

So here’s a quote from Nihad Awad at Barry University on March 22nd 1994. “I used to support the PLO, and I used to be the President of the General Union of Palestine Students which is part of the PLO here in the United States, but after I researched the situation inside Palestine and outside, I am in support of the Hamas movement more than the PLO.”

Here it in video form so you’re sure this was actually said.

Nihad Awad’s common deflection, when confronted with this clip, is that this was before Hamas was internationally recognized as a terrorist group. What Nihad Awad doesn’t know is that I do my homework and I found the Hamas website that lists their acts of violence in a “glory record.” A majority of which are dated prior to March 22, 1994, and going back as far as April 1988. CAIR says Awad is off the hook because Hamas didn’t commit its first suicide bombing until October 1994. There was more than enough to go off of that demonstrates a need to disavow Hamas. Bill Clinton just happened to make them an official terrorist group on January 24th, 1995.

In the transcripts for the October 1993 Philadelphia meeting, there’s a focus on misleading Americans. To put it another way, the Hamas men discussed how to package their political goals in a narrative that fits America’s style of political activism. There’s a distinction between asking for freedom for Palestine, in comparison to demanding the return of the 48 territories.

Today CAIR finds itself in this apparent double standard position. They’ll claim to not be connected to Hamas or Muslim Brotherhood, but when asked in-person to directly denounce these organizations they’ll clam up and refuse to just do it.

This is confusing on their part because in official statements CAIR is more than happy to do this. A statement from them in 2009:

“Our position is clear. We unequivocally condemn all acts of terrorism, whether carried out by al-Qa’ida, the Real IRA, FARC, Hamas, ETA, or any other group designated by the U.S. Department of State as a ‘Foreign Terrorist Organization.'”

In fairness to Awad, I’ll mention his 2006 quote to AP that revises his stance on Hamas. “I don’t support Hamas today. My position and CAIR’s position is extremely clear: we condemn suicide bombings. We are mainstream American Muslims.”

That’s nice. But there’s still proof that Nihad is employing the same strategies of deception that were first discussed at the October 1993 Philadelphia meeting. One message to Americans, a separate message to Muslims in Palestine. Look at the difference between these two tweets from Nihad Awad in 2014. There’s more going on than one being in Arabic and the other being English. HINT: IN THE ARABIC ONE HE BLAMES ISRAEL. 

I’m going to list important people in bulletpoint form so you can remember it better.

• Mousa Abu Marzook: leader of Hamas, leader of the Palestine Committee that led to the creation of CAIR. “I find that there is probable cause to believe Abu Marzook engaged in and intended to further the aims of the conspiracy by his membership in and support of the Hamas organization. I also find that probable cause exists that Abu Marzook knew of Hamas’s plan to carry out violent, murderous attacks, that he selected the leadership and supplied the money to enable the attacks to take place, and that such attacks were, therefore, a foreseeable consequence of the conspiracy.” — the exact words on Marzook’s extradition order. CAIR defended the guy, reportedly.
• Ghassan Elashi: Found guilty of funding Hamas in 2005, alongside his brothers Basman and Bayan. Ghassan Elashi is a founding board member of CAIR’s Texas chapter (CAIR denies it). “In April 2005, the jury found that Bayan Elashi, Ghassan Elashi, Basman Elashi and Infocom Corporation conspired together and sent money to co-defendant Mousa Abu Marzook, an investor in Infocom and a self-admitted leader of the Islamic Resistance Movement, a/k/a Hamas.” — official Dallas FBI press release. It’s pretty cut and dry.
• Nihad Awad: CAIR co-founder. PR Director for the Islamic Association of Palestine. He called the 1994 World Trade Center trial that convicted four Islamic terrorists “a travesty of justice.” CAIR refutes this and says that Nihad Awad never made this remark. “No CAIR document or official ever made such a statement. CAIR obtained hard copies of relevant editions of the Muslim World Monitor, the publication in which Awad is alleged to have made this remark. Awad never wrote or spoke the comment or anything like it.” The Salon.com article in question where the quote comes from was written by Jake Tapper. Which many of you know today as a famous CNN host.
• Omar Ahmad: CAIR co-founder. President of the IAP. Leader within the Palestinian Committee.
• Ibrahim Hooper: Employee of the IAP, and a CAIR Spokesman. He’s like their Baghdad Bob. In a report about Muslims faking hate crimes, Hooper is on the one hand worried about people using that to stigmatize the Muslim community. But then he implies the Muslims faking those hate crimes have “psychological” problems. When Hamas got designated a terror group, Hooper said that CAIR had been “fearing this for a long time.” Adding that there was no evidence out there at the time (1995) to prove funding was diverted to terror organizations. Hugely ironic in retrospect given the Holy Land Foundation trial.
• Muthanna Al-Hanooti: This American Midwest Leadership Council website lists Muthanna Al-Hanooti as “the founder of CAIR Michigan and the co-founder of the Islamic Center of Detroit.” It depends on your definition of terrorism, really. In this guy’s case he was charged in 2008 for funneling $34,000 through the Islamic charity Life for Relief and Development, to pay for a 2002 US Congress trip to Baghdad. “He was charged with working as an unregistered Iraqi agent, violating economic sanctions against Iraq and making false statements. He was released on $100,000 bond with an electronic monitor after an initial court appearance in Detroit. The indictment said Saddam’s oil ministry gave al-Hanooti two million barrels of oil in exchange for his help, and he resold the oil,” says Reuters. The local community was shocked, to say the least. ABC covered it. The New York Times too. Here’s court documents. He was sentenced to a year in prison in 2011.
• Abdurahman Alamoudi: CAIR-Northern Virginia director. “On July 30, 2004, Alamoudi pleaded guilty to three federal offenses: one count of violating the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA), which imposes terrorism-related sanctions prohibiting unlicensed travel to and commerce with Libya; one count of false statements made in his application for naturalization; and a tax offense involving a long-term scheme to conceal from the IRS his financial transactions with Libya and his foreign bank accounts and to omit material information from the tax returns filed by his charities.” — official US Department of Justice press release. New York Times and Associated Press both talked about him. “Alamoudi became a naturalized citizen in 1996. He is the founder and former executive director of the American Muslim Council (AMC), the founder of the American Muslim Foundation (AMF), and was an influential member of other Islamic political and charitable organizations.” Court documents are here, if you like those.
• Bassem Khafagi: founding member and president of the Islamic Assembly of North America (IANA). A charity that in itself was raided by the Feds and investigated for money laundering. CAIR argues that Khafagi was never a full-fledged CAIR employee, only an independent contractor hired by November 2001. The dates in which he wrote bad checks happened beforehand, in February and June 2001. “The actions of which he was accused occurred before any relationship with CAIR had commenced and without any knowledge by CAIR’s of any wrongdoing on his part. Writing bad checks is a criminal offense, not terrorism,” argues CAIR. I have to say I’m satisfied with the fact that CAIR is at least willing to admit Khafagi is a criminal.
• Sami Al-Arian: Here’s his plea agreement. It says he confessed to “Conspiracy to make or receive contributions of funds, goods or services to or for the benefit of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ),” according to the court document. U.S. District Court Judge James Moody called Al-Arian a “master manipulator” at his sentencing hearing, saying that he looked at his neighbors right in their eyes and claimed he had “nothing to do with the Palestinian Islamic Jihad,” despite the trial showing otherwise. CAIR Executive Director Zahra Billoo says she’s inspired by Mr. Al-Arian.
• Randall Todd Royer: He worked as a civil rights coordinator for CAIR. If you’re unsure of this, here he is having a Q&A session alongside Nihad Awad. Here’s an official notice from the US Department of Justice stating that Randall Todd Royer was sentenced for his participation in a “Virginia Jihad Network.” The news covered it too. CAIR’s response to the crimes committed by Royer are that they were done after he left the organization. You might notice that the CAIR pages list Royer’s first name as Ismail. So you might have doubts if it’s the same guy. But it is. This essay goes into letters that Randall “Ismail” Royer wrote in prison.

That doesn’t even begin to cover cases like the former CAIR employee who got caught trying to solicit sex from a 12-year-old girl. I’d say “allegedly” but we’re talking about a pretty big sex sting by the Feds, here.

I can’t make the connection between CAIR and Hamas any simpler than that. If you want primary source material, here you go. It’s a 10-page memo from a July 1994 follow-up meeting conducted by the Palestine Committee. On page six you’ll see CAIR, the IAP, and the Holy Land Foundation all listed there. The Muslim Brotherhood is mentioned regularly in the later pages, as the document explores ways in which organizations like CAIR and the Holy Land Foundation can best operate for the Brotherhood’s agenda. The HLF was happy to help CAIR get started, sending along $5000 in start-up money on October 5th, 1994.

Again. Don’t just take my word for it. Here’s Chuck Schumer in 2009. Here’s Chuck Schumer in 2003. Let’s be blunt here. Chuck Schumer said CAIR was connected to Hamas on pages 7 and 8 of this document. If the world wants to play the blame game, we can all say its Chuck Schumer’s fault for starting this “rumor” that has been surrounding CAIR for over a decade now. It’s made even weirder to see Schumer praise CAIR in 2015, as it doesn’t negate his previous statements.

But there’s a reason I bring the Schumer example up. It’s the context that can be used to explain a recent snafu from the Trump administration. The U.S. Commerce Department did a pretty quick 180-degree turn away from its CAIR partnership for the 2020 Census. They cut ties with CAIR just as quickly and abrupt as they made them in the first place.

So. If Zahra Billoo’s positive statements about Hezbollah and Hamas seemed confusing to you, there’s an explanation for that. “This is not a separate movement from the mother Group,” says the July 1994 Palestine Committee document (page 8) that the FBI seized, in which CAIR is linked back to HAMAS.

But it’s important I mention the other side of this argument. You can believe the FBI document connecting CAIR to Hamas, or you can take CAIR at the word that they’re not Hamas. Back in May 2013 CAIR published a page on their website that dealt with “dispelling rumors about CAIR.” You can read it at your leisure. I mentioned many of their counterarguments already.

What does Zahra Billoo think? She actually talked about all this stuff once. “genius. Unindicted essentially means unaccused. The label is a legal fiction,” was her response.

My conclusion based on observing the available evidence is that CAIR is not primarily just the Muslim advocacy group it advertises itself to be. It’s a group designed to sabotage relations between Jews and Muslims. It’s not something isolated to just Billoo, either. Take this outburst from CAIR Events and Outreach Manager Jinan Deena.

But for some reason, Big Tech chooses to ignore this anti-Semitism. “You should burn in hell along with Israel” CAIR’s Events and Outreach Manager Jinan Deena tweeted last year. “Supporting Israel has no space in the Muslim world,” she said later that same month. Jinan Deena recently spoke out in protest against the Women’s March for ousting Zahra Billoo. She’s the one next to Rashida Tlaib in this picture.

CAIR was lackluster in its response to 9/11. CAIR was outraged in late 1998 when a Los Angeles TV station put up billboards featuring Osama Bin Laden as “the sworn enemy,” and they called it offensive to Muslims. You can imagine how much of a bummer it must have been for them to have to release a statement condemning Osama Bin Laden for September 11th, 2001… three months after the fact.

Yes. Ms. Ilhan “Some People Did Something” Omar couldn’t have had things further from the truth after September 11th, 2001 happened. They ran damage control within a week of the event. Which is perfectly understandable. CAIR had every right to help maintain calm and order in such a hectic moment for the history of the United States.

But CAIR’s Ibrahim Hooper got in a tough spot during an interview (1, 2, 3, 4) two weeks after September 11th. He refused to just outright condemn Osama Bin Laden. “We condemn terrorism, we condemn the attacking on the buildings,” Hooper said. But Osama himself? He was left to the realm of “IF” he was behind it.

He actually grew so irate that he called the grilling a Zionist conspiracy.

“What you’re trying to get me to say is the Palestinians don’t deserve to live in peace and freedom,” Hooper says — though neither the Palestinians nor Israel had been mentioned. Questions about whether CAIR would condemn organizations by name unequivocally, instead of qualifying the condemnations, were just “word games from the pro-Israel lobby,” Hooper said. Instead, Hooper said that the very questions were the problem, and part of a Zionist conspiracy. “This is a game they play,” Hooper said, referring to the pro-Israel lobby. “They give me a long list of people to condemn and if you don’t give sufficient condemnation you’re a terrorist. We would condemn any person or any group that kills innocent civilians. But it’s not my duty that when the pro-Israel lobby says ‘Jump’ I say ‘How high?'”

“It’s like the ‘Six degrees of Kevin Bacon’ game,” Hooper said. “No Muslim is more than six degrees away from Osama bin Laden.”

It wasn’t just Hooper. Protecting Bin Laden was CAIR’s official position for quite a while. Ghazi Khankan, then Executive Director of CAIR New York, spoke to the New York Times. Ghazi recommended exercising skepticism and restraint. ”We need to have proof,” he said. ”We need to have facts. If there is something wrong, let’s get together through the United Nations, not act as a lynch mob.”

By October 2001, CAIR was sending 9/11 conspiracy theory fodder to The New York Times. “True Muslims Cannot Commit Suicide Nor Kill Innocent Civilians That Is Why Recognized Muslims Are Not Part Of The WTC Tragic Attack,” their petition writes. CAIR took umbrage against two of the 19 suspects being reportedly alive and working in Saudi Arabia. Suspect Abdulaziz Alomori explained to Saudi media that his passport got stolen back in 1995 and he had to get it replaced.

“If three of the 19 suspected “hijackers” are still alive, who were the other 16? The important questions are: Who is impersonating these three Muslim Arabs? Why are Muslim Arabs been implicated in this terrorism? And, who could “benefit” from this horrific tragedy?”

Sound familiar? All they’re doing is asking questions, though. Right? Harmless. It’s fine. Zahra Billoo and CAIR question 9/11 all the time. “We need more scholars like Dr. Tariq Ramadan who aren’t afraid to ask difficult questions,” she tweeted immediately after. Who better to learn about 9/11 from than the grandson of Muslim Brotherhood founder Hassan al Banna? From his heritage alone, Tariq Ramadan is an important man. No wonder why Zahra Billoo looks up to him.

According to Jared Holt of Right Wing Watch, Loomer fell for a prank by Nathan Bernard when it came to CAIR and Twitter “colluding” to ban her. He uses the incident to cast doubt on the Wall Street Journal’s reporting. But Oliver Darcy double-checked with the WSJ, and they stand by their reporting in light of Holt’s story. Twitter’s denial to Oliver Darcy is very specific, stating senior Twitter staff never met with CAIR, as implied by Bernard’s hoax. Moreover, Zahra Billoo never denied giving that quote to the Wall Street Journal for their article.

The only comment I could find from Zahra Billoo on this was “In the end, this only spread her conspiracy theories,” in a tweet sharing an article regarding the situation.

So it all comes down to what’s meant by “lobbying.” Jared Holt implies that CAIR wouldn’t be as petty as to wanting to police Laura Loomer off the Twitter platform. 

But yes. CAIR would absolutely want to do that. CAIR put out a newswire saying Juan Williams needed to be punished for comments he made on the Bill O’ Reilly show. The next day, NPR fired him. When a professor at UCF in Florida criticized Islamic culture’s link to terrorism during a lecture? CAIR stepped in and got very upset. Even though no student or faculty member had complained whatsoever, beforehand. CAIR went as far as following the professor around for months. It was caught on video. CAIR thought the 2019 Aladdin movie had racist stereotypes in it. They’ll see the specter of Islamophobia in an episode of Law and Order: SVU. 

Ben Carson called for an investigation into CAIR. The group responded by claiming he “was unfit to lead” and demanded he drop out of the 2016 U.S. presidential elections.  Boom. CAIR had another “Islamophobe.”  Ted Cruz’s efforts to get the Muslim Brotherhood officially designated as a terror group in the United States were targeted by CAIR. The Washington Free Beacon caught CAIR as the source of a misinformation campaign in which CAIR claimed Cruz’s bill “was written by a disgraced former FBI agent who has made a career out of bashing Muslims and Islam,” according to CAIR’s own press release. They tried spinning it as an anti-Muslim bill.

But thanks to the magic of Washington money, you’ll never hear a peep about CAIR’s wrongdoings from the likes of Hillary Clinton and Nancy Pelosi.

If you want a recent point of reference from the last couple of months, CAIR went after Michelle Malkin for starting a GoFundMe to support Andy Ngo. The journalist who was attacked over the summer for covering Antifa violence in Portland up close and in person. CAIR has hounded Pamela Gellar for years for being a vocal critic of Islam. Some of you reading might think this is justified. That’s fine. But what about Bill Maher too? I only ask because that happened as well. CAIR thinks Maher is like the “grand dragon of the KKK” and they tried having his speech at the University of California Berkeley canceled. Zahra Billoo herself was disappointed that the school let the show go on despite CAIR’s protest.

Finally, let’s bring it all together.

The most obvious place to start is with the Women’s March itself. As I explained in the earlier parts of this piece, they ousted the likes of Zahra Billoo from their leadership. Much like how they got rid of Linda Sarsour beforehand.

But let’s turn back the clock. The Women’s March being accused of anti-Semitism has gone on for quite some time. Here’s one of the earliest responses the group put out about it.

What brought this on in the first place is a piece titled “When Progressives Embrace Hate” in The New York Times.

I have to take a moment to just reflect on the opening of this piece. Bari Weiss introduces it in a similar way to how I approached writing about CAIR here in this article. This was unintentional on my part, I already had it written before seeing this. Here we too have someone that was caught up in the politics of the moment. Weiss describes her captivation with the Women’s March and how enamored she was with the sight of the January 2017 protest. The opening paragraphs build up like the drop of a roller coaster, and when reading I can feel that last breath before Bari jumps away from conformity of political views to talk about a difficult subject.

Bari Weiss spotlights the anti-Semitism of Linda Sarsour and the other members of the Women’s March who affiliated with the infamous Louis Farrakhan. I don’t have to say much about him other than his 1985 Nation of Islam speech at Madison Square Garden.

“And don’t you forget, when it’s God who puts you in the ovens, it’s forever!” he bellowed.

Bari brings up a few tweets from Sarsour:

• (7:39 AM – 31 Oct 2012) “Nothing is creepier than Zionism.Challenge racism, #NormalizeJustice.”
• (8:21 PM – 12 May 2015) “You’ll know when you’re living under Sharia Law if suddenly all your loans & credit cards become interest free. Sound nice, doesn’t it?”

Weiss even refers to the “it’s all in the past” mantra that I alluded to throughout my piece here. But the past helps to define the present, for sure. I found it surprising that Jake Tapper of all people would show up again in this whole CAIR debacle, but so it was. He seemed uncomfortable with the Women’s March Twitter honoring a cop killer.

• (11:23 AM – 16 Jul 2017) “Happy birthday to the revolutionary #AssataShakur! Today’s #SignOfResistance, in Assata’s honor, is by @Meloniousfunk.” — Women’s March Twitter account.
• (1:09 PM – 18 Jul 2017) “Shakur is a cop-killer fugitive in Cuba. This, ugly sentiments from @lsarsour & @dykemarchchi …Any progressives out there condemning this?” — Jake Tapper
• (3:34 PM – 18 Jul 2017) “.@jaketapper joins the ranks of the alt-right to target me online. Welcome to the party.” — Linda Sarsour

Then we get to the ending. Bari expresses fears that she’ll be subjected to the same tar-and-feather routine for her write-up.

“I am sure that Linda Sarsour, and perhaps the other leaders of the Women’s March, will block me for writing this. Maybe I’ll be accused of siding with the alt-right or tarred as Islamophobic. But what I stand against is embracing terrorists, disdaining independent feminist voices, hating on democracies and celebrating dictatorships. If that puts me beyond the pale of the progressive feminist movement in America right now, so be it.”

This all happened in August 2017. Before Laura Loomer was even a widespread thing. Before Charlottesville even happened and catapulted the “alt-right” pandemonium to astronomical heights. What makes Loomer any different? Is it because she took the stage at the Women’s March in January 2019? “The Women’s March does not represent Jewish people,” Loomer shouted at the crowd.

I still cringe watching that footage. I can’t help myself it’s a reflex. Of course, the media was able to sweep that aside, tossing it in the “Loomer’s antics” pile. (My tweet talking it about is even mentioned in this article from The Daily Wire. Too bad you won’t be able to see it now.) But even by that point, the Women’s March was fracturing into different splinters as the public concerns of anti-Semitism persisted. Groups were pulling out their support. Even the DNC disassociated.

It started back in November 2018. Three days before Laura Loomer was banned, Women’s March Founder Teresa Shook took to Facebook to call some people out.

“Bob Bland, Tamika Mallory, Linda Sarsour and Carmen Perez of Women’s March, Inc. have steered the Movement away from its true course. I have waited, hoping they would right the ship. But they have not. In opposition to our Unity Principles, they have allowed anti-Semitism, anti- LBGTQIA sentiment and hateful, racist rhetoric to become a part of the platform by their refusal to separate themselves from groups that espouse these racist, hateful beliefs. I call for the current Co-Chairs to step down and to let others lead who can restore faith in the Movement and its original intent.”

Bari Weiss was right after all. Loomer was right too. For a long time there were only whispers when it came to the anti-Semitism problem of the Women’s March. But then in December 2018, a pair of groundbreaking articles came out from Tablet and The New York Times. The anti-Semitism dam BURST open. Women’s March founders Perez and Mallory accused Jews of exploiting black and brown people because of the American slave trade or something. It’s ideas that Louis Farrakhan wrote about in one of his books, and that was thrown out onto the table within the first days of the group’s formation. This political dispute was stacked on top of the economic one surrounding branding rights and financial turmoils.

Tamika Mallory and Linda Sarsour showing up at the likes of Louis Farrakhan’s events caused internal ire. Linda Sarsour used Nation of Islam acolytes as volunteer security, for example.

“I talked to everyone, and I said it to every last one of them: Tamika [Mallory] needs to resign—not just because of her Farrakhan connection, but because of how she handled it afterwards. I said Linda [Sarsour] also needs to step down. Her controversy and the things she keeps saying and doing are detrimental to the movement.” When Tablet asked Morganfield whether she believes the co-chairs are anti-Semitic, she offered a terse answer: “There are no Jewish women on the board. They refused to put any on. Most of the Jewish people resigned and left. They refused to even put anti-Semitism in the unity principles.”

Anti-Semitism was the breaking point for the Women’s March. Laura Loomer didn’t even need Tablet or The New York Times to confirm this for her. She already jumped into action in getting the word out back in October 2018. Loomer showed up at the #MeToo Politicon panel where Alyssa Milano was speaking. Laura asked Alyssa to disavow Linda Sarsour because of her support for Sharia law.

Loomer didn’t even bring up the Women’s March, remarkably. Watch the video and you’ll see that never comes up. But somehow the following week that’s what it turned into, as Alyssa Milano decided not to speak at the next Women’s March event that’d take place at the start of 2019.

Something that added to the stack of Loomer being banned the following month. Something that connects to Zahra Billoo. But before we reveal that, let’s talk about the Ilhan Omar confrontation.

Laura Loomer’s encounter with Rashida Tlaib and Ilhan Omar happened on August 11th, 2018. In the video, it appears that Tlaib is initially warm, but quickly backs off when she realizes who Loomer is. The questions Loomer asks are directly connected to the controversy surrounding CAIR. Laura’s remarks are about Israel in particular and directly pertain to the longstanding dispute between the country and Palestine. She brings up the fact that the UAE designated CAIR as a terror group. The jury is still out on whether or not Ilhan Omar married her brother, but Loomer brought that up too. Media coverage like that in Newsweek mischaracterizes Loomer as simply targeting Muslims. The assertion is that Laura is simply Islamophobic. That got parroted around multiple media outlets. Facebook ended up giving her a slap on the wrist for the debacle.

Ilhan Omar acknowledged Laura Loomer on Twitter, in a way that postures Loomer as a legitimate political opponent and not simply some Islamophobic bigot.

• (1:06 PM – 22 Sep 2018) “ICYMI: @LauraLoomer will be joining us for the Gaza fundraiser. These efforts help provide urgently needed medicines, equipment, wheelchairs, over-the-counter drugs & health care supplies to the people in Gaza. Let’s have the biggest fundraiser, our new friends have ever seen!”
• (2:58 PM – 22 Sep 2018) “.@IlhanMN you have poor reading comprehension. I am not attending your fundraiser for HAMAS, because unlike you, I don’t support jihad. I am attending a pro-Israel rally that will be in opposition to your anti-Jewish pro terror fundraiser. You need to stop funding terrorists!”

There’s a difference between what Laura Loomer did, and what other people have done. In April 2019 someone left threatening voicemails to Rashida Tlaib’s office in Washington DC. There’s a clear distinction between the questions Loomer asked, and someone threatening murder. I know this happened because CAIR reported on it. This makes more sense and is an example of the organization doing their job. VICE calling what Loomer did a “far-right attack” though plays into the same “politics of fear” that they claim to be adamantly against.

I can look at tweets like this one on August 12th, 2018 from Ilhan Omar and see positivity. I’m happy to see that sort of thing. But it isn’t a vacuum. We have to acknowledge that other tweets happened.

• (9:15 AM – 16 Nov 2012) “Israel has hypnotized the world, may Allah awaken the people and help them see the evil doings of Israel. #Gaza #Palestine #Israel”
• (7:15 PM – 22 Sep 2018) “It was such an honor to attend the “Dear Gaza” fundraiser, thank you Karmel and all the organizers for your tireless work in support of Palestinians. I know Palestinians are resilient people, hateful protesters nor unjust occupation will dim their spirit. #insolidarity”
• (9:20 PM – 21 Jan 2019) “That statement came in the context of the Gaza War. It’s now apparent to me that I spent lots of energy putting my 2012 tweet in context and little energy is disavowing the anti-semitic trope I unknowingly used, which is unfortunate and offensive”
• (3:58 PM – 10 Feb 2019) “It’s all about the Benjamins baby 🎶”
• (4:55 PM – 10 Feb 2019)  “AIPAC!”
• (4:32 PM – 5 May 2019) “How many more protesters must be shot, rockets must be fired, and little kids must be killed until the endless cycle of violence ends? The status quo of occupation and humanitarian crisis in Gaza is unsustainable. Only real justice can bring about security and lasting peace.”

Chelsea Clinton even spoke out in concern and called Omar’s language anti-Semitic. But at least Ilhan Omar afforded Clinton the room to have a dialogue. Loomer never got the chance to have that type of discussion with Omar because she got banned.

Yes, being the first Somali-American in public office is a milestone. But being a politician means being able to stand up to scrutiny. It’s in the job description.

“Being opposed to Netanyahu and the occupation is not the same as being anti-Semitic. I am grateful to the many Jewish allies who have spoken out and said the same,” Omar tweeted. The definition of anti-Semitism used by both the ADL and the United States disagrees with that. People in the media disagree with that. I’m making a clear distinction on purpose about this being Israel vs. Palestine concern and not an Islam vs. Judaism dilemma. Although there’s an argument to be made about anti-American rhetoric.

But let’s isolate the Ilhan Omar thing down to brass tacks. Loomer’s tweet that got her banned from Twitter is in the same vein as the backlash against Pelosi for placing Omar on the House Foreign Affairs Committee. But Steve Scalise doesn’t get banned from Twitter for pointing the anti-Semitism out. Nor does Liz Cheney, Ari Fleischer, or Dov Hikind. Be it tweets or not, let me remind you that Twitter erased the boundaries so offsite behavior was fair game. Need I remind you that even the House of Representatives had to react to it? Where was Twitter at?

I mentioned this CAIR employee earlier but it seemed like a good time to bring this up again as we talk about Rashida Tlaib.

The example set by Rashida Tlaib is much more blatant. Scroll back up and look at Zahra Billoo’s tweets. In spite of all of that, Rashida accused the Women’s March of Islamophobia for ousting Billoo. “#FreePalestine always sis! They won’t silence us for speaking out against human rights violations. They will lie, smear our names and call us anti this and that, but we always be pro- humanity & we have the truth on our side. Stay strong @ZahraBilloo” Rashida tweeted.

I’m not surprised to see Rashida Tlaib once wrote for Louis Farrakhan’s The Final Call publication. Nor is it a shock that Rashida Tlaib “corrects” Israel to Palestine on the map in her office. Those seem small. Who cares if she simply followed an anti-Semitic Instagram page? What’s the harm in a retweet, anyway? But it’s by far not the only examples out there. The Daily Caller revealed Rashida’s membership in the “Palestinian American Congress” Facebook group where many often engaged in anti-Semitism. The most prevalent example of this being a key fundraiser for Tlaib, Maher Abdel-qader, sharing a video that described Jews as “satanic.”

It’s one thing that this happened in the first place. It’s worse that Rashida Tlaib doesn’t give a damn about it after the fact.

“Rashida Tlaib stands by Israel and Holocaust comments amid criticism” blared a May 2019 CNN headline.

“Michigan Democratic Rep. Rashida Tlaib defended her recent comments about Israel and the Holocaust Sunday after drawing criticism from top Republicans and Israel’s ambassador to the United Nations, accusing her detractors of purposefully mischaracterizing her remarks.

Speaking on an episode of Yahoo News’ “Skullduggery” podcast that was released Friday, Tlaib was asked about her support for a one-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. She began by noting the recent observance of Holocaust Remembrance Day before veering into the historic position of the state of Israel.

“There’s kind of a calming feeling I always tell folks when I think of the Holocaust, and the tragedy of the Holocaust, and the fact that it was my ancestors, Palestinians, who lost their land and some lost their lives, their livelihood, their human dignity, their existence in many ways, have been wiped out, and some people’s passports,” Tlaib said.”

Even The New York Times had to admit the remarks were “not particularly eloquent.”

Back in January, Rashida Tlaib said the Senate “forgot what country they represent” in response to them advocating for a bill defending the Israeli government from boycotts. The bill did more than that, but that’s where the focus was in light of Rashida’s remarks. It’s the same sort of allusions to dual loyalty that Ilhan Omar herself espoused.

You can’t go around claiming rampant Islamophobia on one-hand, and spew anti-Semitism on the other. That’s exactly what Rashida Tlaib accused the Democrats of in light of Ilhan Omar’s anti-Semitism row earlier this year. At what point does Tlaib earn the infamous “provocateur” label that’s often subscribed to Laura Loomer? There’s an undeniable effort at shock value when comparing Israel to the 1800s segregation in the United States, for instance.

Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib both regularly flirt with the anti-Semitic groupthink. As evidenced by their antics over the summer, partnering with anti-Semites for an Israel to trip. This Miftah group in question published something that accused Jews of using the blood of Christians in the Jewish Passover. They apologized eventually but the damage was done. The group known as Miftah shares a link with the neo-Nazi group National Vanguard, via this anti-Semitic treatise they put forward.

Just to re-emphasize this. Via the Washington Post: “Omar and Tlaib’s trip to Jerusalem and the West Bank was planned by Miftah, a nonprofit organization headed by Palestinian lawmaker and longtime peace negotiator Hanan Ashrawi.”

This Business Insider article tries to explore context surrounding Tlaib and Omar’s decision, but the contentious mood surrounding the situation altogether strikes at the heart of what this whole piece has been about in the first place.

Look at the tweet that got Laura Loomer banned again. But now, in light of everything you now know.

Twitter was wrong to ban Laura Loomer because they were silencing her criticism of a political party. That’s what CAIR is. Ilhan Omar was CAIR’s candidate. You’re free to agree or disagree with everything you’ve read here today. But it’s irrefutable now that the grounds in which Laura Loomer’s politics are on is not just some blind Islamophobia.

Somebody seriously fucked up here. With all of it.

The whole CAIR subject is a hefty mess to try and wrap your mind around. I get it. But there’s more going on than a simple case of alleged racism on Loomer’s part. CAIR having the gall to compare Laura to the ADL is more than enough to demonstrate that, alone. But then we get to the matter of their executive Zahra Billoo. What I presented is a comprehensive and consistent pattern of bad behavior. There’s enough documentation in Billoo’s tweet history that shows an attitude of prejudice. In reflection on CAIR’s history as an organization, Zahra Billoo is a living example of proof that CAIR’s priorities lie more in being anti-Israel than pro-Muslim. 

Even if we throw the history of CAIR out the window and disregard it, Zahra Billoo’s anti-Israeli tweets remain.

I was able to find substantial backing in a matter of weeks to what Laura Loomer has known for years. People have made outrageous conclusions about the underlying facts, of course. But there’s something physically here worth paying attention to. At the very least, you can’t call her baseless.

If we take CAIR at face value, then: Laura Loomer, the ADL, the Women’s March, and Bill Maher are all on the same side. Ask yourselves. Who are the real conspiracy theorists here?

It’s not like Zahra Billoo knew both Linda Sarsour and Ilhan Omar… oh wait she does. CAIR featured both Sarsour and Omar at their December 2017 banquet, as you can see here in this tweet from Billoo.

I’m going to round off this piece by connecting things point-blank. Zahra Billoo lobbied Twitter to get rid of Laura Loomer out of political favoritism for her friends.

A couple of fundraising tweets from Billoo in June and August 2018 help strengthen the financial bias Zahra had in supporting Ilhan Omar. But even so, there’s a demonstrable level of personal involvement on Billoo’s part. For obvious “breaking glass ceilings” reasons, she idolized Ilhan Omar.

I’m sure it’s just a coincidence that the same people that Laura Loomer protested against in her videos are the same bunch that Billoo knows through CAIR. To be clear, we aren’t talking just acquaintances either.

When it comes to Linda Sarsour, we’re talking a tweet history that goes back to 2011. They worked right alongside each other, buddies in their hatred of Israel “Home Depot supports Apartheid Israel. Murder is worse than a TV commercials complaint. @lsarsour,” Billoo tweeted, with Sarsour slapping a big ol’ retweet on that. Zahra looked up to Linda Sarsour. A lot. A great many. Sarsour was a good friend and gave Zahra a shout-out in her December 2012 speech for CAIR Arizona. “yay! May it be the beginning of many more to come. Banquets not shout outs. Well …,” Billoo responded, cementing the awkwardness of her friendship to Linda… uhh. “Hi @lsarsour! <3ed hearing your voice on the MASA #CIR call today. :)”, “miss you”, and other such tweets demonstrate that Billoo really really likes working with Linda Sarsour. Plus, there are numerous personal compliments that show the same sort of personal idolization Billoo had for Omar. And then some. On one of the rarer occasions when Sarsour returned the favor, we discover Linda Sarsour was named CAIR’s American Muslim of the Year.

Look. Zahra is really close to Linda Sarsour. “Literally shadowing @lsarsour!” They work at CAIR together. They shared in anti-Israeli opinions. “Really want to dedicate capacity to take on the @adl_national’s hate,” Billoo confessed to Sarsour in 2014.

You get it. When Sarsour got more famous, Billoo even used her stardom as a marketing tool for a CAIR dinner.

“Can I run for VP, as a write in, with @lsarsour as my President? “Ice cream & world peace” would be the slogan. What say you? #GOPDebate” — Zahra Billoo, December 2015.

I don’t know how clearer I can make this. Laura Loomer protested Linda Sarsour. Billoo is BEST friends with Linda Sarsour (“I 💕@lsarsour and continue to learn from her awesome work”). The Women’s March takes off. Linda Sarsour and Zahra Billoo spend Spring Break in Morocco together.

There is more than enough personal and political incentive to show that Zahra Billoo used her position at CAIR to get rid of Laura Loomer.